Only lower class girls become nurses

[upsidelow]

I am a nurse, definitely from a working class background for which I am proud. I had it said to me that it's the poor or thick girls that become nurses. To be fair the person who said it did not know that I am a nurse but still...Is that what people think? That you don't need to be clever to be a nurse! I studied for three years, I also have post graduate qualifications too. My job is demanding and requires a lot of time and attention. I am not thick! Apparently bright girls being teachers...

I think the notion of nursing as a calling ends up being used to justify poor pay and working conditions. It’s condescending… and probably only said because it’s a traditional female role.

Nursing is a job. Even a career. Nothing more.

I will say that you don’t have to be really bright at all to get into nursing or midwifery. I am neither of those things

For me it was Functional Skills Maths and English. Then Access to Nursing. Then Uni for the degree

It was quite easy to get into my local uni. Both Nursing and Midwifery are in clearing ever since the bursary was scrapped. Of course I can’t speak for every uni. But it’s true for a lot of them.

I don’t have any GCSE’s. There are a few routes into it. You don’t need to be ‘clever’. But you need to be able to think on your feet, have compassion and multitask, all whilst enduring some horrendous hours.

None of that excuses that person’s comments. Some of the most essential jobs that are hard work to the max, beyond most people’s understand, aren’t entered into by being incredibly gifted in an academic sense

It was a calling because originally most nurses were nuns. They did feel a calling from God to care for the sick.
Drs have always been businesses though until the NHS or provided through charities.

So many replies. I have not long finished my shift so catching up. The person who said this to me is in their late fifties, a teacher by profession. It was an off the cuff remark about how the not very bright girls will probably do nursing as it's easily attainable. I did not let in the fact I am a nurse as I was actually quite upset.

I did not have a stable upbringing nor any support when choosing a career, I feel into nursing and it saved me. I've since gained many qualifications along the way and I am classed as a nurse specialist, I also prescribe medication. I do not feel that I am thick but I guess reflecting over my career, I may have entered a different profession if I had of known how poor the pay, working conditions and progression would be.

In answer to the question, no idea about ‘class’ of nurses but I do believe the profession has changed over the years. I think 20 years ago, being ‘caring and professional’ was enough to be a successful nurse. These days you have to be so much more. They are given more and more responsibility of care, treatment, medication and prescribing. Is this the right thing for the profession, I don’t know. I suspect some people are better suited to the traditional care giver role and others are suited to the more challenging side of the role.

What I do know is, I don’t believe anyone that I would consider ‘thick’ could secure a place on the nursing degree, pass and survive on the wards.

How awful to hear! I have some really smart fabulous friends who are nurses and amazing ones at that. The class thing is ridiculous! Absolute nonsense!

It may be condescending to you. To me choosing a career where you help (in whatever way) people is a calling, maybe not for all but definitely for some that want to make a positive contribution to the world. That doesn't mean you need to be paid badly.

"Nursing is a job. Even a career. Nothing more." So you think you know the decision making process and thoughts of every nurse? That's rather arrogant.

I went to university in the late 1980s. There were some nursing students in my halls of residence. They were all very well off!

Why would anyone call anyone sir?

I can imagine, though I think it mostly comes down to money

I’m not sure the idea that nursing is a calling - or an earlier PP who described them as angels - is helpful to nurses. It’s no more a calling than physio - it’s a profession, not a charity, and the people in it need to be paid properly and treated well - I know you don’t mean they shouldn’t be, but I don’t think that stereotype helps.

Is this not a bias from when we were kids? I remember in primary school all the girls either wanted to be a nurse or a teacher.

I did know a (ghastly) young adult woman who claimed to want to be a nurse. She was perhaps the most ill-suited person to ever consider nursing and I know for a fact she didn’t continue with her degree. Even if she had, there’s absolutely no way any individual would have employed her.

In my experience there are fantastic nurses who are grossly underpaid for what they do, but there are also a handful of dreadful nurses on each ward who should think themselves lucky to have such a job.

@theduchessofspork historically nursing was a calling. It was often nuns and other religious women who thought God was calling them to nurse the sick. That is where the idea comes from. It is only since the NHS 80 years ago that looking after the sick has become a non religious endeavour.

I don't think this. A friend from private school did a degree and then went back to uni to become a nurse.

I have another friend who is a nurse, now in the private sector, and she has ambitions to get an MBA and make it to C-suite in the company.

@Mamma283828 the association comes from the time you could leave school at 15 and become a trainee nurse. You still had to attend lectures and do placements.

@KimberleyClark I disagree those that don't get the grades for medicine become nurses.
I think there's the very academic science types that will go for medicine and if they don't get in then biomedical science and then become a researcher or something

And those that want to be nurses are more like helping caring nurturing profession and have only wanted to do nursing or similar caring like primary teaching or physiotherapy something like that.

I think years ago it was a caring profession without degree entry ..but nursing was pre degree days more of an apprenticeship, nurses went to nursing school.
I think medicine is very hierarchical, people want to be seen by a nurse for some things (blood tests, stitches, diet, tests )but generally anything diagnostic it's very common to want a doctor, I hear it all the time "did you see a doctor ?" Medicine is a bit different to other jobs, well a lot, because it attracts very bright, ambitious people, in my school it really was the top of the class that went into medicine those that didn't quite make it went into dentistry if they had a science bent. I think certainly among older people brought up in that environment it's hard to shake that off.

I don't think thick people would manage a nursing course, which (I imagine) is quite science-y.

@x2boys I can see there’s way too much computer input. Everything is reliant in technology. Not actually talking to anyone. The elderly need this to recover and it’s an important part of nursing. Now forgotten. I’ve no doubt other nurses are great in technical roles, but they self select don’t they? Many senior nursing roles are £50,000 plus pa. Like most professions, you have to apply for promotion.

Rubbish. There are lots of posh and educated people who become nurses.

But nursing isn’t menial.

Well said, working class earn our living and contribute to society, we’re not a lower class. People refer to me as middle class, my roots are working class, I’m working class through and through, proud of my parents and grandparents and their achievements.

No one with a degree and working in a profession requiring qualifications is working class! Millions of us came from farm and factory workers. We have acquired an education and attained a professional job. Therefore middle class by any definition. Maybe an earlier generation did this so millions became middle class much earlier. No degree educated nurse is working class.

Maybe but at 14 in the 40s you couldn’t leave home or train for a career without parental say so, many were expected to go to higher paid factory labour with no career and to give all their wages to parents to support the family and pay for rations.

Nursing shouldn't require a degree. That's a prime example of why this country is broken.